Larry Muth has always tried to lift things, beginning with his grandfather’s lawnmower around age 6.

Muth tried and tried, eventually getting his father to bring the piece of equipment home from his grandfather’s garage in Empire to the Muth’s home in Coos Bay so he could keep attempting to put it over his head.

“I can’t remember if I ever did lift it,” Muth said. “That’s how it all sort of started.”

Now at age 61 and after countless muscle tears and broken bones Muth still takes joy in the simple act of lifting heavy weight. And on June 13 at the World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters national championships in Portland the Coos Bay man set a pair of world records for his age and weight class — again. Muth, weighing in at just 123 pounds, put up a bench press of 170 pounds and pulled off a 325-pound deadlift, a special combination since the two lifts require completely different muscle groups. He set and eclipsed his own records seven times at the meet, and a search of WABD’s Web database turns up many Muth records from his days in younger age groups.

“He’s kind of a freak in the deadlift. Bench it’s the same thing,” said Levi Westgaard, a personal trainer who’s worked closely with Muth at Coastal Fitness Center in Coos Bay. “It definitely surprises you when you see him put weight up around here.”

Muth bought his first set of weights in 1958, and started lifting competitively in 1966. Since then he’s embarked on a lifelong journey of fitness, lifting three times a week and spending much of the rest of his time at the punching bag and running.

The lifting fanatic looks too skinny for his hobby. But as he lifted and hit the treadmill at Coastal last week, it was easy to see how he made up for his wiry frame with a tenacious work ethic.

“This is something that he’s been very passionate about for many years, and we think it’s incredible he’s still able to compete at that level at his age,” said Muth’s niece, Jammie Strutz, who watched Muth lift in Portland in June. “Everyone’s proud of him.”

A lifetime in the weight room has taken a toll, but Muth shrugs off injuries that might floor someone else. He thinks a lingering hip injury probably needs surgery, when he gets around to it. Muth does deadlifts — the act of lifting weight off the floor in a true test of brute strength — with carpal tunnel in his hands and a partly-healed broken finger.

But Muth still is spry at 61 and injured. He speaks in rapid-fire sentences, enjoying what seems to be a constant, workout-enduced endorphin rush. Those around him say the self-employed Coos Bay man is never happier than when he’s in the weight room.

“He’s pretty much dedicated his whole life to lifting weights and staying fit and staying in shape,” said Simmie Muth, Larry’s other niece. “Honestly, I don’t know where it comes from. ... That’s just the only way I’ve ever known him.”

If Larry Muth isn’t in the weight room, he’s probably out running — he won the 61-and-over age group at the Mayor’s Firecracker Run on July 4 in Coos Bay, finishing the 4-kilometer race in 20 minutes, 49 seconds.

Nobody’s sure where Muth’s dedication has come from. Even the man himself paused when asked, answering only that he’s always been a competitive guy.

So competitive, in fact, that he doesn’t take days off from working out.

“It’s something he loves to do,” Westgaard said. “He’s done it his whole life, it keeps him going and keeps him healthy.”

As Muth has grown older and racked up injuries, though, the amount of weight he can lift has dropped off. 

“You try and try and try, and you’re just getting older,” Muth said. “When I was 50 I was still putting up pretty good weights.”

But Muth still is out-lifting many men decades his junior in his weight class. And one thing that hasn’t diminished with years is Muth’s drive to be the best he can possibly be — at any age.

“I’m just kind of drawn to (weight lifting). Some people run, some people swim, some people climb mountains,” he said. “I call it positive addiction.”